Dark Places Aren't Meant to Be Warm and Comforting
by Pixielullaby
Summary: "Cat smiled then, like she was remembering something that she had really liked.." (Character Death. (Jori.)


One shot.

 **POSSIBLE TRIGGER WARNING** for character death.

Disclaimer: I own nothing

* * *

You wake up and it's dark, but not just dark, it's hot and dark.

The room is black and there's a body next to you who's back is turned and you've been having this same nightmare for weeks.

It's dark, wet, and cold, there are loud noises, there's blood all over the place, it's in your hair, on your clothes.

It always makes you wake up sweating, which brings you back to the point of it being way too hot.

You need a cold something, preferably a shower but Beck's RV doesn't have one and you didn't want to be there in the first place.

He was nice enough to let you come and stay as a friend, but he doesn't have a cold shower, so you grab your new keys off his nightstand and leave him sleeping because you need something that he doesn't have.

It's way too hot to think about the irony.

Your house is by far closer to Beck's RV than the Vega house is but you drive there instead because your house is empty and you know where they keep the spare key.

(They keep it under the doormat like a bunch of happy, trusting Vega's would.)

You never actually check the time like you were going to, you just spray some fruity smelling perfume on an ugly orange sweatshirt before taking it inside with you.

You forget your phone in the car and don't lock it, but Tori's dad's a cop and you're parked beside his cruiser, you can't think of anyone stupid enough to try it.

You here footsteps and the door open while you're shampooing and when you open the curtain after your cold shower you see a towel and some pajama shorts laying on the counter for you.

You dry off and get dressed and yeah, the sweatshirt is kind of hot but you wear it anyway and bury your face in it after you lay down next to Tori.

"You okay?" She asks quietly from behind you just like she has every night you've ended up here for the past few weeks.

Just like she has everytime she's seen you for the past few months.

You pull the front of the sweatshirt up around your face and breath in, letting the musty fruit smell fill your lungs, since you refuse to wash it.

She sighs because no, no you're not okay and you won't be, but it's not like you really have to say it out loud to Tori, she gets it.

The only person that ever really got you like Tori does..

"That's Cat's hoodie.." She says, or maybe she asks, or maybe she's just stupid.

"Her perfume.." That was most definitely a statement, which means Vega's about to get hit.

"It's okay to miss her, Jade." She says as she sits up.

You know she wants you to look at her, but there are tears starting to roll down your cheeks and just because she gets it doesn't mean you need to totally break down in front of her.

"Jade.. It's not your fault-"

"How the hell is it not my fault?" You snap.

There are tears running down your face like it's no one's business, because it's not, but Tori crossed a line.

"I was _driving_ , Vega! That stupid truck hit _my_ side! She _died_ and all I got was this _stupid_ fucking reminder that I killed my best friend!" You yell.

You pull up your sweatshirt to fully show her the scars running from your knee to your ribcage on your left side, from when your body got cut along the broken window when you crawled out of your old smashed car.

"Why the fuck wasn't it me? Why did it have to be, Cat?" You start crying harder and your voice softens, no longer threatening to wake the entire house.

Tori pulls you closer to her, she hold your head to her chest and her heart's beating fast.

"It'll never be your fault, Jade.." She whispers, hugging you tightly.

You try to move, to fight, but you don't have any motivation left to do it, so you you wrap your arms around her torso and cry into her t-shirt instead.

She holds you until you stop shaking and it's probably been hours since you got here, you've long since moved to the bed to sit and cry, then lay down and cry, and the sun's rising through Tori's purple curtains.

The last thing you remember is Tori holding you before you see Cat's face.

It's not the nightmare, it's new, it's breezy even, and almost sunny..

* * *

"It's about time you came to visit me, Jadey." A soft, airy voice laughed.

"Cat, I.." You stutter, you can't look at her, you're afraid.

"You were _so_ mad, Jade.." She said quietly. "You don't need to be scared now. You're not mad anymore.. We're okay here."

You look around you and you realize that it's just the two of you sitting on some grass, everything does seem okay, the world looks endless instead of dark and deadly.

You look at her then.

She looks like she used to, back before..

"Hey, _shh_.." Cat hushes you as thunder starts to sound somewhere far off, the clouds look gray for a moment and the grass stops dying once you look back at her face. "It's okay here, Jade."

You take a deep breath and smell her fruity perfume but it doesn't smell musty and dead or like the back seat of your new car.

" _Cat_.." You sigh.

"It's _okay_." She repeats and her eyes are saying it too, you get it, she doesn't blame you, you're the one one who blames you.

"I miss you, Kitten.." You say and it starts to rain ever so softly along with the tears running down your cheeks.

"I know you do.." She smiles her bright, happy smile. "You always will and I'll miss you too."

"What do I do now?" You ask after you finally take a breath and wipe the tears from your eyes with the sleeves of her orange hoodie.

"You wake up, when you're ready.. Just like before." Cat explained with that same smile from earlier. "Tori's going wait for you, just like before.. She loves you, you know? She told me at the hospital after the accident, only.. She didn't know she told me."

Cat smiled then, like she was remembering something that she had really liked.

"She was outside your room.. She never left, even though Beck did a lot with Andre. They were sad but Tori was crushed.. She couldn't leave your side. She stayed and stayed and one night, a few days before you woke up, they let her into your room after everyone left.. She sat on the couch next to me and told me about how much she loved you." She went on, pausing at the right moments, waiting for you to comprehend everything. "She told me that she was really gonna miss having me around and that everyone was going to be pretty sad without me. She told me that she knew you were going to blame yourself because that's who you are and I knew you would too, because.. Well, that's who you are. She asked me to help her try and help you through it.. She said she couldn't do it alone, even though I think she could have. Then she told me that she loved you.. Really, really loved you.."

"Why are you telling me all this?" You ask, still drying some stray tears from your eyes.

"Because.." Cat shrugged. "She won't tell you until you're ready to hear it and unless you hear it you won't be ready. I know that Tori misses me, the same as you miss me almost, but.. I know what would have happened if you hadn't woken up, Jade. She would have never loved again.. She wouldn't have had anything really left after you.. She and I both needed you to live, Jade. So you need to live for all of us.. For me, because you're my best friend. You need to go do the things I can't do on my own now.. Like, go on the Senior trip, and go to prom, and graduate.. For the both of us. For Tori, she needs you.. She needs you like the Earth needs the sun, because you're kind of that for her, and you need to be a little brighter because seeing you hurting is making it very cold and sad on Tori-Earth. You need to keep going for us and for yourself too.. You need to prove to the world that you're Jade West, _the_ Jade West, and that nothing, absolutely nothing, will ever stop you."

Your tears are pouring down again but they're happy tears and you know that because there's sun peaking through the clouds in the sky.

"Can you do all that, Jade?" Cat asked. "For all of us?"

"Yeah.." You nod. "Yeah, I can."

"Hey, Cat?" You ask after a moment, you feel yourself getting lighter by the second.

"Yeah, Jadey?" She giggles.

"Thanks for being my best friend."

"Thanks for being mine." She says sincerely and the next time you open your eyes you see Tori.

"Are you okay?" She asks, wiping a tear from your cheek with her thumb.

"Yeah.." You mumble, voice still laced with sleep. "I'm okay.."

* * *

"Hey, Tor?" You sigh as you cuddle into her chest while watching The Scissoring, which is her least favorite movie ever, but she's been pampering you all day with your favorite things.

"Yeah?" She winces as the leading lady shoves her scissors through the guy's cheek.

You kiss her cheek only an inch from her mouth because you don't want it to be friendly but too much is still too much.

You slowly pull away and she smiles and leans your head back on her shoulder.

She tightens her arm around your waist and sits still for the rest of the movie, she gets it, she understands you, and it's okay.

You're okay here.

* * *

 ** _A/N_**. I post every Thursday so be sure to check the account for new stories and updates. Remember to review, good or bad, and PM me prompts, pairings, and suggestions. I read EVERYTHING and I try my best to keep up with all of those amazing ideas.


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